According to Orthodox Jewish tradition, the head must be covered when saying a blessing before eating and drinking for the first time as God's name is used.
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How Trump impeachment lawyer David Schoen was observing an orthodox Jewish ritual when he covered his head each time he drank water during opening arguments
- Trump lawyer David Schoen caused confusion on social media during his opening argument at Tuesday's impeachment trial
- Viewers questioned why he placed his hand on his head as he drank water
- Schoen was likely observing an Orthodox Jewish ritual that requires a blessing before eating and drinking that includes God's name
- According to Jewish law, your head should always be covered when you say God's name
- Some social media users were angered over the jokes about the ritual
- Others questioned whether Schoen was following the ritual correctly
By
FRANCES MULRANEY FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 09:36 EST, 10 February 2021 | UPDATED: 10:50 EST, 10 February 2021
Trump lawyer David Schoen caused confusion on social media during Tuesday's impeachment trial as he appeared to cover his head with his hand every time he took a sip of water.
As Schoen made his opening argument that Trump's second impeachment trial is unconstitutional, bemused viewers questioned the unusual drinking habit.
Yet Schoen was likely displaying a ritual observed by Orthodox Jews in which they must say a blessing before eating and drinking that includes God's name.
According to Jewish law, known as halacha, your head should always be covered when you say God's name.
'Each time we eat or drink something we say a blessing to thank God and we cover our head, typically with a yarmulke, to show respect and to acknowledge that there's someone above us,' Rabbi Menachem Genack, CEO of the kosher division of the Orthodox Union explained to the
New York Post.
'Since he wasn't wearing a yarmulke, he wanted to at least cover his head with his hand.'
Trump lawyer David Schoen caused confusion during Tuesday's impeachment trial as he appeared to cover his head with his hand every time he took a sip of water. He observed the ritual as it is part of Jewish law to cover your head when you say a blessing using God's name
Viewers were quick to question why Schoen was placing his hand on his head
Others were angered that the Jewish ritual was being mocked
'Don't be jerks', one Twitter user wrote as they fired back at the jokes
Schoen covers his head while drinking water for orthodox ritual
Schoen was later asked why he didn't wear a yarmulke (otherwise known as a kippah) or another head covering during the trial.
The Post reports that Schoen wore a kippah into the Capitol building but chose not to do so on the Senate floor.
According to
The Jerusalem Post, Schoen said he 'wasn't sure if it was appropriate'.
'I didn't want to offend anyone… It's just an awkward thing and people stare at it.'
The Jerusalem Post reports that in some work situations, Orthodox men elect not to wear a head covering for fear of discrimination.
The publication highlights a court room setting, in particular, where there could be fears of antisemitism from jury members, judges, or members of the public.
Head coverings are generally banned in the Senate, but it has an exception for religious requirements.
The 181-year ban was overturned in 2019 after a push from Rep. Ilhan Omar and other interfaith groups.
Schoen's religion had already come up as part of the impeachment trial after he asked – and then withdrew his request – for it to be paused in observance of the Jewish Sabbath.
Yet even observant Jews remained confused on Tuesday at the consistent placing of his hand on his head before taking a drink.
Religious law only requires a blessing before one's first bite and after eating and drinking, according to the Jerusalem Post.
Most Orthodox interpretations of the law also don't allow for your hand to be used as a head covering.
Schoen was seen throughout his opening statement hold his hand on his head as he drank
Some observed on Twitter that your hand is not generally accepted as a head covering
'I don't think he was saying a blessing. It's a pavlovian reaction for those of us who are used to doing it whenever we tilt our heads back,' explained one Twitter user.
'Otherwise, he wouldn't do it every-time he takes a sip. He'd only need to do it the first time.'
'Like most things in Judaism, there's a debate about whether or not one's own hand counts as a "covering" for this purpose, whether or not women are also obligated, if water actually requires a blessing,' added Laura Adkins, a journalist with Jewish News.
Their explanations came after jokes at Schoen's expense hit Twitter, including one from Mary Trump.
'He can raise his voice and hold the top of his head all he wants, he has no idea what he's talking about,' the ex-president's niece wrote.
Others were angered that many on Twitter were joking about the ritual.
Some were angered that many on Twitter were joking about the ritual
Mary Trump was among those to mock the Orthodox Jewish ritual
'It is Jewish ritual, not an odd behavior to be mocked,' said a tweet from Bend the Arc: Jewish Action.
'David Schoen is an Orthodox Jew. He covers his head when drinking water because that's what many observant Jews do,' wrote Avi Mayer.
'It is generally followed by the recitation of a blessing and is an expression of religiosity. Don't be jerks.'
'Schoen is a religious Jew. There are a couple non-mockery-worthy reasons why he might've done this,' added CNN reporter Daniel Dale.
'It's like Twitter just learned about Orthodox Jews today,' wrote another user Sara Pearl.
The Senate voted largely along party lines on Tuesday to move ahead with Trump's impeachment trial, but conviction appears unlikely barring a major shift among Republicans.
During his opening statement, Schoen argued that the trial is unconstitutional, and that Democrats are simply 'seeking to eliminate Donald Trump from the American political scene' because of their 'base hatred' for the ex-president.
David Schoen, lawyer for former President Donald Trump, is pictured on Tuesday wearing a Kippah as he entered the Capitol. He did not wear the head covering on the Senate floor
David Schoen, an attorney for Donald Trump, speaks during the second impeachment trial of former President on Tuesday as he argued that the trial is unconstitutional
'This trial will tear this country apart, perhaps like we've only seen once before in our history,' he said, appearing to reference the Civil War.
'It is wrong, as wrong can be for all of us as a nation.'
He denounced the 'insatiable lust for impeachment' among Democrats before airing a video, which stitched together clips of various Democratic lawmakers calling for Trump's impeachment going back to 2017.
Schoen also blasted the 14-minute video shown by Democrats in the opening of the trial which showed the violent pro-Trump mob storming the U.S. Capitol on January 6, cut alongside parts of Trump's speech from earlier that day.
'We now learn that the House managers in their wisdom have hired a movie company and a large law firm to create, manufacture and splice for you a package designed by experts to chill and horrify you and our fellow Americans,' he said.
'They don't need to show you movies to show you that the riot happened here. We will stipulate that it happened, and you know all about it. This is a process fueled irresponsibly by base hatred by these House managers.'
Trump's lawyer David Schoen accuses Dems of 'weaponizing' impeachment
The Senate voted 56-44 to proceed to the first-ever trial of a former president, rejecting his defense lawyers' argument that Trump was beyond the reach of the Senate after having left the White House on January 20.
Democrats hope to disqualify Trump from ever again holding public office, but Tuesday's outcome suggested they face long odds. Only six Republican senators joined Democrats to vote in favor of allowing the trial to take place, far short of the 17 needed to secure a conviction.
Convicting Trump would require a two-thirds majority in the 50-50 Senate.
The vote capped a dramatic day in the Senate chamber. Democratic lawmakers serving as prosecutors opened the trial with a graphic video interspersing images of the January 6 Capitol violence with clips of Trump's incendiary speech to a crowd of supporters earlier in the day urging them to 'fight like hell' to overturn his November 3 election defeat.
Senators, serving as jurors, watched as screens showed Trump's followers throwing down barriers and hitting police officers at the Capitol.
The video included the moment police guarding the House of Representatives chamber fatally shot protester Ashli Babbitt, one of five people including a police officer who died in the rampage.
The mob attacked police, sent lawmakers scrambling for safety and interrupted the formal congressional certification of President Joe Biden's victory after Trump had spent two months challenging the election results based on false claims of widespread voting fraud.
justthenews.com
Jonathan Davis
Frank Bojazi
